education

As a technology teacher, students know that I love computers and all things techy. For Teacher Appreciation Week, a first grader gave me a thumb drive. Tech can be so fun and can be great for personalized learning. That being said, I am actually not a proponent of tech for the sake of tech. I’ve even put up posters like the image below around my school to make the point that technology is not best used as a babysitter. Bottom line: Kiddos at computers are not rotisserie chickens. You can't "set them and forget them."

Flocabulary artist Dillon Maurer has two passions: music and food. So when Dillon isn’t writing and recording songs for Flocabulary or tutoring students in Atlanta, you can find him in the kitchen, whipping up some breakfast burritos or fried green tomatoes. We put Dillon through our 4 question interview to see what he had to say about inspiration, education, humility and, of course, food. 1. What inspires you as an artist? It sounds a little trite, but I'm truly inspired by life itself. I believe we are all artists, no matter what our craft, so for me, I'm just trying…

Here at Flocabulary, we're always excited to see educators who motivate students using music. MSNBC's "Nightly News with Brian Williams" recently featured the trailblazing KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) Charter Schools: as a part of their groundbreaking approach to fostering achievement, KIPP schools make education more engaging using hip-hop music as well as other student-friendly exercises. The program has a dramatically promising record of taking under-privileged students and enabling them to succeed. While KIPP has proved highly successful, there are also others making a difference in education using music - such as California English teacher Alan Sitomer who teaches poetry…

With the increased importance on high-stakes standardized tests in recent years, lots of teachers find themselves devoting more and more time to test preparation. You can teach students how to take the test, but what do you do for all those students who find test-taking a nerve-racking experience? One unique solution that we've seen in action: Have a pre-test pep rally. Two members of the Flocabulary crew (Blake and Vlad) had a chance to participate in an amazing pep rally this morning to kick off the ELA tests that start tomorrow in New York. At PS 40Q, an elementary school…